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Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
With fans coming from all over, cosplaying as their favorite characters and supporting their favorite artists, this weekend marks the annual celebration of all things pop culture at WonderCon this weekend, from March 29th to 31st. Throughout the weekend, we will report on news, insights from panels, or anything of note coming from the convention.
Everyone’s a Critic: Being a Journalist in an Online Age
The role of a film critic and what they represent in the business has been a topic of much discussion, especially in the past decade or two with the Internet giving everyone a platform to voice their opinion. Journalists will be accused of being paid off by big studios, or of being too critical of certain genres, so… how do you navigate the industry as a writer or newcomer to the world of film criticism? That is precisely what moderator Bill Watters and panelists Jacqui Mia Ross, Tessa Smith, Mike Manalo, and Gene Aversa spoke about in their panel “Everyone’s a Critic: Being a Journalist in an Online Age.”
Ross discussed the process she went through to find her expertise in analyzing film. When she started her YouTube channel, “Movie Night with Jacqui,” she tended to pause a lot as she tried to collect her thoughts. Once she realized she was good at talking about production design, cinematography, and visual storytelling, she made it her priority in her work. This is something that most writers can relate to. Smith shared similar stories as well as interacted with her viewers to grow her brand. This included talking with people who would leave mean comments and attempting to build a relationship even with those who disagreed with her opinions.
On the other hand, Manalo and Aversa focused on balancing being fair in their reviews and interviews, even if they didn’t necessarily like the show or film they had to cover. Manalo brought up an interview he recently had to do with the stars of the film Night Swim, and the research he had to conduct to come up with questions that positively tackled the movie. Aversa highlighted how important it is for audiences to consume blockbusters and independent films alike so one’s tastes are diverse. Finally, Watters touched on the pivotal difference between writing a negative review and a hit piece, and how you should leave your biases behind when writing an article while staying true to your voice.
FX Breakdown: The Artists Who Build Universes
With award-winning VFX artists in attendance – including Geoffrey Mark (The Orville, Raised by Wolves), Jim Davidson (Titanic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Ian Hunter (Interstellar, Inception), Tom Griep (Independence Day, Armageddon), and Chris Simmons (iRobot, Independence Day) – the panel dived into some pretty hilarious behind the scenes stories.
During the panel, Davidson mostly focused on his work in Terminator 2, particularly the nuke nightmare scene. He and Griep talk about creating the film’s iconic nuclear cloud using plexiglass and wires, and how sometimes the simple ideas give the best results. Davidson finished his section by joking that their work was good enough to get the VFX team the Oscar win.
When moving on to Ian Hunter’s work in The Dark Knight, Hunter started his part of the panel by joking about Christopher Nolan’s upcoming knighthood. It was followed by an extensive story of the model crew building giant miniatures for the film’s underground chase sequence with the Tumbler crashing into the garbage truck. Hunter retells how they spent nine days filming different takes so Nolan would have a large variety of shots to choose from for the final cut. One of those days, Hunter and his crew almost got hit by the miniature of the truck after a malfunction. The payoff to his story got a big reaction from the crowd after Hunter revealed the first take they shot went perfectly fine, which is the one that is on the final cut.
Behind the Scenes of the Film and TV Industry
To kick things off, actor Spencer Wilding (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) casually mentions how he played one of the very first White Walkers in Game of Thrones and didn’t give it much thought until years later at a Comic-Con when he saw himself in some art. Wilding also talked about his experience as the classic Star Wars villain. He mentions the extra lines of dialogue he had on set, despite being rerecorded by James Earl Jones later, and helping him embody the character better on set.
Meanwhile, Gigi Edgley (Farscape) brought up the challenges of dealing with nerves on a regular day on set. She touched on how comfortable she felt being covered in makeup playing an outlandish character, rather than a typical human that made her more conscious of her acting decisions. To cap things up, Jimmy Diggs (Star Trek: Voyager) ended the panel with a bang as he described visiting the set of the first Star Trek episode he wrote. Here, Diggs retells the story of seeing the cast getting to act out the scene where they encounter the creature Diggs created. This led to a hilarious anecdote where the cast and crew asked Diggs the meaning behind his monster, and he proceeded to lie and say it was a philosophical metaphor for something deeper than it was.
Such Sights to Show You: How Women in Horror Make Movies on Any Budget
This is probably the most fun panel of the day. Anastasia Washington (Addams Family) and Shannon Brown (Demon Juice) with panelists Brea Grant (Torn Hearts), Maggie Levin (V/H/S/99), Chelsea Stardust (Into the Dark, ‘All That We Destroy’), Alison Locke (The Apology), Camille Corbett (The Island), and Gina Hendry (Deadhead).
Between jokes about who and what they would take to an isolated island to film a horror movie, Locke encouraged new filmmakers to make strong connections with colleagues in school or their social circle and give back to their community by offering them jobs in their respective departments. In addition, Grant, Stardust, and Corbett discuss the process of submitting projects to film festivals. They also discuss how upcoming artists can take advantage of grants to help fund their work.
To drive these points home, Levin went on an extensive exploration of the pitching process, prepping for production amidst tight deadlines, and surrounding yourself with the right people to work with. In the end, the panelists agreed that at the end of the day, you must be reminded to have fun during the filmmaking process, even amidst stressful days.
Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.